Dr. Phil. Fauth has, with a seven inch objective, drawn and published sixty-three drawings of Mars in which a great many canals are shown, a list of which he presents in his memoir on the subject.
The lamented Perrotin, for some time Director of the Nice Observatory, in company with M. Janssen, at Meudon, observed Mars through the great equatorial (32-2/3 inch), and published the results in the "Comptes Rendues" (Vol. CXXIV, No. 7). He describes the several zones, the northern equatorial zone "being more particularly the zone of the extraordinary canals, the discovery of which we owe to Schiaparelli, and to which we ourselves, by our publication, in 1886, called the attention of the astronomical world."
The London "Nature," March 17, 1904, in noting the death of M. Henry Perrotin, speaks of him as one of the ablest advocates of astronomical science. He devoted much time to Mars. "Aware that he was working at the extreme limit of visibility, and knowing the tendency for self-deception to creep in and impair the value of such delicate observations, he sought opportunities of making similar measures and records with different instruments, and under varied conditions, in order to remove, so far as possible, the evils of bias and partiality from the results of his researches."
Dr. Terby of Louvain, in a memoir entitled "Physical Observations of Mars," a translation of which appeared in the "Astronomical and Astrophysical Journal," No. 106, identifies many of Schiaparelli's canali and other details depicted in Schiaparelli's map of Mars. In conclusion Dr. Terby says: "After what we have seen we dare affirm that henceforth the progress of areography will be in the hands of those alone who, freeing themselves from the shackles of doubt, will resolutely engage in the way traced by the celebrated astronomer of Milan. A new era has begun in the study of Mars by the discovery of canals and their doubling, and by the micrometric determination of one hundred and fourteen fundamental points on the map, an era succeeding to that which was inaugurated a half century ago by the construction of the first two hemispheres and by the approximate fixing of fourteen points by Mäedler." Dr. Terby further says: "But these results have an incontestable value in the presence of the incredulity with which certain astronomers still consider the beautiful discoveries of Milan. Who would believe it? In spite of the beautiful drawings of M. Perrotin one reads still that the discoveries of M. Schiaparelli have not been confirmed by the largest instruments."
In "Astronomy and Astrophysics," No. 108, is published a series of contributions on Mars by Professors Edward C. Holden, William H. Pickering, C. A. Young, Lewis Swift, George C. Comstock, E. E. Barnard, and H. C. Wilson. All of these men are astronomers and all are connected as directors or observers with various observatories in the United States. Many sent sketches, most of them saw the canals, all saw the polar snow caps and darker regions. To say that these astronomers were sketching details which existed only in their imagination is simply preposterous.
Professor Herbert A. Howe, Director of the Chamberlin Observatory, at Denver, in his "Elements of Descriptive Astronomy" says: "If we have simply to answer the question, 'Would a man, as constituted at present, if transported to Mars find it possible to exist there?' The most probable answer is, 'No.' While one must not be dogmatic, it may be said, with some assurance, that the man would gasp a few times and die. However, it is conceivable that manlike beings might find a home there." Mr. Howe could have said without being dogmatic that a man thus transported would die of what is known as Caisson disease.
Among those who assert that the canals are artificial we have Professor Percival Lowell as pre-eminent. He has erected an observatory in the region of one of the clearest atmospheres in the world, has furnished it with the finest telescope that Clark ever made, and for the chief purpose of studying the surface features of Mars. In his interesting book on Mars he has presented the results of his observations in so lucid and convincing a manner that a reviewer of the English edition of the work, in an English astronomical journal, is led to write: "We may say at once that we feel bound to accept these observations as sufficient evidence of the real existence of the markings without expressing an opinion as to what they may be." The reviewer ends by saying: "Indeed, there is a subtle deftness in the way Mr. Lowell deals with his observations which gives the impression that he has been there and seen it all, and it is really hard to say why we cannot accept his conclusions. It is probable, because we are shy to receive new facts at a first statement. In time, no doubt, we shall be willing to accept his deductions (or facts) as to the markings. We were about to advance objections, but they seem poor, and really it is a case where each person must read and form his own ideas—but by all means read."
We have already presented a summary of his observations. We may add here, however, an extract from his book on the solar system. In this Mr. Lowell says of Mars: "What we see hints of the existence of beings who are in advance of, not behind us in the journey of life," and again: "Life on Mars must take on a very different guise from what it wears on the Earth. It is certain there can be no man there—that is as certain as anything can be. But this does not preclude a local intelligence equal to, and perhaps easily superior to, our own. We seem to have evidence that something of the sort does exist there at the present moment and has made imprint of its existence far exceeding anything we have left on Mother Earth."
George W. Morehouse, in his "Wilderness of Worlds," says: "Taken all together we must regard Mars as probably an inhabited world and very similar to the Earth."
Mr. Hector Macpherson, Jr., member of the Astronomical Society of France, in his interesting book "Astronomers of To-day," says, in regard to Mr. Lowell's book on Mars: "He does not ask us to believe anything fantastical or extravagant. His hypothesis has been framed to account for all the various Martian features. At present we can only say that it is the most comprehensive and probable theory yet advanced to explain the phenomena of the red planet."